One of Chiswick’s RNLI lifeboats was called to Westminster Bridge yesterday, Monday 6th April and remains there on guard after approximately 900 protesters threatened to jump en mass into the Thames.

The Chiswick crew was joined by three other RNLI lifeboats from Tower and Gravesend stations after members of the Sri Lankan group Tamil Tigers threatened to jump into the Thames. They are calling for a end to the civil war in their country and threatened to throw themselves into the river unless they could speak to Gordon Brown.

The group, which is made up of thousands of protestors, is currently being held in a police cordon in Bridge Street close to Westminster Bridge.

Relief crews have been called in to both Chiswick and Gravesend to man the stations in the event of other call-outs while the story in central London unfolds.

In addition to the RNLI crews, police boats, fire boats and the harbour master boat are all standing guard in the river Thames below Westminster Bridge.